Process of inducing a flow or oil from oil-wells.



No. 782,238. PATENTED FEB. 14, 1905. B. P. GARDNER,

PROCESS OF INDUGING A FLOW OF OIL FROM OIL WELLS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1904.

UNITED STATES Patented February 14, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

BENJAMIN FULTON GARDNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TOCHARLES K. WOOLNER AND SIGMUND WOOLNER,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PROCESS OF INDUCING A FLOW OF OIL FROM OIL-WELLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 782,233, dated February14, 1905.

Application filed May 9, 1904. Serial No. 207,112.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN FULTON GARD- NER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and'State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Processesof Inducing a Flow of Oil from Oil-Wells, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a novel process of inducing the flow of oilfrom oil-wells; and it is equally adapted for old as well as new wells.

The process consists, essentially, in prod ucing a pressure at thebottom of the well by means of heat, and it can be carried outconveniently by the apparatus illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view showing the apparatus in awell. Fig. 2 is a sectional View of the packer.

Referring to the drawings, an oil-tube 1 is supported in a well'2 by anysuitable means, insulated from the wall of the well. For this purpose Imay use wooden blocks 3, impregnated with some insulating material. Anelectric heater 4 of suitable character is located above the bottom ofthe well and adjacent to the oil-bearing strata, and the tube-isperforated below the heater at 5 to permit the inflow of oil. A packer 6of suitable character closes the well above the oil-bearing strata, andbetween this packer and the heater the tube 1 is covered with insulatingmaterial 7 An electric conductor. 8, leading froma dy namo 9 or othersource of electric energy, carries the current to the tube 1, which actsas the electric conductor as far as the packer, and an insulated wire 15completes the circuit to the heater 4. From the heater the circuit iscompleted through the lower end of the tube and the ground.

In practice the heat radiated from the heater will convert Whateverwater may be located at the bottom of the well into steam, or in theabsence of water it will vaporize the oil, and the pressure therebycreated at the bottom of the well below the packer will be suflicient toforce the oil into the tube through the perforations 5 and out at thetop of the tube. In deep wells it may be desirable to provide one ormore additional heaters 10 at suitable intervals to act as a booster forthe oil, and I may provide one or more check-valves 11 in the tube tohold the column of oil.

My heater will also prevent the formation of solid parafiin at thebottom of the well, and hence the flow of oil will not be thereby shutOH or retarded.

I do notlimi't myself to the particular means herein shown and describedfor working my process, and while I make no claim for the apparatus inthis application I do reserve the right to cover the same in a separateapplication.

Without limiting myself to the exact construction and arrangement ofparts herein shown and described, whatI claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. The herein-described process for inducing a flow of oil from anoil-well which consists in producing a pressure by heat at the bottom ofthe well.

2. The herein-described process for inducinga flow of oil from anoil-well which consists in vaporizing the oil or converting the waterinto steam at the bottom of the well by the application of heat toproduce sufficient pressure to cause the oil to flow up from the bottomof the well.

BENJAMIN FULTON GARDNER,

-Witnesses:

WM. 0. BELT, Famous B. ALLEN.

